Liquid fuels are used to power many types of engines. Commonly, engine fuels are liquid, organic fuels having relatively low boiling points, and which readily vaporize. The most common example of such fuels is gasoline, although diesel fuel and other petroleum oil derivatives are in common use. Alcohols are also in common use as fuels for engines. The most common engine with which such fuels are used is the internal combustion engine. Piston engines and turbines are in common use, and other types of engines use liquid fuels.
For reasons of economy, and for reasons of the environment, much research and investigation has been performed to discover ways to reduce the amount of fuel consumed for a given amount of energy produced by an engine. It is recognized that by vaporizing the fuel prior to introducing the fuel into the carburetor, fuel injection system, or other carburetion system, increased fuel mileage is obtained. A device which provides fuel vaporization is disclosed in Rocky, U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,040. A vaporizer for a liquified petroleum gas engine is shown in Horiuchi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,774.
Engines which burn liquid fuels inherently produce heat. A heat exchanger may be used to vaporize fuel, using heat from the engine.